USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > Spokane and the Spokane country : pictorial and biographical : deluxe supplement, Volume I > Part 4
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Oliber Dall
a member of the Colfax council, while from 1894 to 1902 he was a member of the state senate from this district. His services in this capacity were rendered with a rare degree of efficiency, and were generally satisfactory to the community at large, so that in 1910 he was again sent to the senate, his present term expiring in 1914. Here as elsewhere Mr. Hall has manifested the initiative and strong powers of organization and executive ability that have always char- acterized him in the direction of any undertaking. He was a most valuable acquisition to the commercial circles of Colfax during the early days, and to his perspicacity, resourcefulness and determina- tion of purpose can be attributed much of the development of that period. Fraternally he is affiliated with Hiram Lodge, No. 21, A. F. & A. M .; Colfax Chapter, No. 8, R. A. M .; and Colfax Lodge No. 4, K. P., of which he is past grand chancellor and past supreme representative. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, being past grand master and past supreme representative of this organization; and he is a past dictator of the Order of Moose. He has been an enthusiastic member of the Colfax Commercial Club since its organization, and he is also affiliated with the Inland Club of Spokane. Enterprising and public-spirited, Mr. Hall is one of the popular men of the county, where by reason of his loyalty to his friends and the community, and his straightforward, upright transactions he is held in high esteem by all who know him.
Edward Derbert Jamieson
T HE history and development of a city depends upon its progressive merchants, manufacturers and pro- fessional men-those who capably control important business interests and at the same time cooperate in the upbuilding and benefit of the city at large. Of this class Edward Herbert Jamieson was a representa- tive. He ranked with the foremost business men of Spokane, was also classed with its public-spirited citizens and his investigation and research along various lines also won for him qualification with the scientists of the northwest. There was much of interest in his life record which began at Ambala, in the British East Indies, January 12, 1852, and closed at Spokane on the 21st of December, 1909. His parents were Jesse Mitchell and Elizabeth ( McClary) Jamieson. On his father's side he was of Scotch and on his mother's of Scotch-Irish lineage. The former was sent as a Presbyterian missionary to In- dia and after twenty-five years devoted to preaching the gospel to the people of that district he brought his family to the United States, establishing his home in Monmouth, Illinois, in 1863. There he ac- cepted the pastorate of the First Presbyterian church and continued active in the ministry for a long period.
While the family were residents of Monmouth, Edward Herbert Jamieson pursued his education there in the public schools and in Monmouth College, from which he was graduated with the B. A. degree in 1871, while three years later he received from his alma mater the Master of Arts degree. After his college days were over he spent some time in teaching school and was for several years principal of the high school in Keithsburg, Illinois. His early identification with business interests on the Pacific coast was in the capacity of educator, his first position being that of principal of the high school at San Jose, California. In the meantime he took up the study of law which he pursued in a thorough and systematic manner until admitted to the bar upon examination before the supreme court at San Francisco. In 1882 he removed to Spokane, the town, then in its infancy, containing only a small population yet having in its situation and natural resources the elements of its future greatness. He re-
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Edward Derbert Jamieson
mained a resident of Spokane until called to his final rest, and during the early years of his residence here engaged in the practice of law. However, business interests gradually claimed his time and attention. He recognized and utilized the opportunities for judicious invest- ment in property and eventually putting aside his law practice en- tirely gave his attention to the supervision of his realty interests. At an early period of his residence in Spokane he erected several busi- ness blocks, two of which were destroyed by the fire of 1889. In 1890 he erected the fine Jamieson building, at the corner of River- side avenue and Wall street, which is still one of the ornaments of this city. He also owned much land in the surrounding country and his residence and estate, "Five Pines," near Piedmont, on the Spokane and Inland Railroad, ranks as one of the finest private places in the state.
Mr. Jamieson was first married to Miss Mattie A. Reid in 1876, who died in February, 1880, and they had one daughter, Mattie Mabel, who on September 7, 1904, married Norman Roscoe Totten, engaged in the real-estate business in Spokane. Two children were born to them, namely: Edward Jamieson Totten, born July 2, 1906; and Elizabeth M. Totten, born June 10, 1908. On July 4, 1881, Mr. Jamieson was united in marriage at Boonville, California, to Mrs. Ida (Hoag) Haskins, a daughter of Dr. M. R. and Laura J. (Morgan) Hoag. They were both pioneers of Ohio, having come from Connecticut at an early age with their parents. Dr. Hoag was a noted physician of Ohio, and practiced surgery and medicine for over forty years at Lodi, Medina county, Ohio. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jamieson. Josephine Janette, living at home; Edward H., also at home; Arthur M., who died in infancy; Evelyn Elizabeth, attending Wellesley College; and Irene Kathryn, attend- ing high school in Spokane.
Mr. Jamieson was always regarded as a public-spirited citizen and his labors were an element for general progress and improvement although never in the path of office-seeking. He was especially in- terested in education and contributed liberally toward the establish- ment of Spokane College, serving as president of the college council at the time of his death. His own private library was one of the finest in the northwest and included many rare volumes, he being noted for his discriminating taste and appreciation as a collector. He was also a lover of nature and had comprehensive knowledge of botany. He was likewise fond of art, of music and of travel, and in fact was in close touch with all of those varied interests which are
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uplifting and beneficial forces in life. His friendship was ever deep and sincere and his hospitality cordial. His political allegiance was given to the republican party save at local elections, where he cast an independent ballot. He was one of the organizers of the Pres- byterian church of Spokane and contributed liberally to its support. He was numbered among the few prominent business men who sur- vived the financial panic of 1893, retaining an untarnished name. His contribution to the world's work and progress was a valuable one. While he won success it was never gained at the sacrifice of others' interests and never to the exclusion of activity along those lines which take men from the more sordid field of business into those paths of life which mean advancement and improvement. He knew the joy of life because he chose the things which count for most in intellectual advancement and character development.
Cyrus Happy
Cyrus Happy
C YRUS HAPPY, of Spokane, was born on a farm in Perry county, Illinois, near the present city of Duquoin, January 28, 1845, a son of Burgin and Mary (Williams) Happy. Both his parents were natives of Kentucky, removing with their individual families to Illinois, where they were married. He was reared on the paternal farm, receiving in his early years only the educational advantages of a country log school, which he attended for three months in the winter seasons until the age of fifteen. Ow- ing to the absence of his elder brother in the army it then became necessary for him to devote his entire time to the work of the farm. In March, 1865, he enlisted, under the last call of President Lincoln, in Company K, Eighteenth Illinois Infantry, and he continued in the service until December of the same year, when he was mustered out with his regiment.
After leaving the army Mr. Happy decided to complete his edu- eation and pursued studies in the academy at Duquoin, Illinois, and then in McKendree College at Lebanon, where he was graduated in the scientific course in 1869. He then went to Edwardsville, Illinois (the county seat of Madison county), studied law in the office of Gillespie & Springer, and in 1871 was admitted to the bar and em- barked in practice at that place. For some six years he was in pro- fessional partnership with Judge David Gillespie (his preceptor in the law), and subsequently, until 1891, he sustained the same relation with C. N. Travous, who had been a student in Mr. Happy's law office and became a practitioner of eminent ability and reputation, occupying at the time of his death, in 1908, the position of general counsel of the Wabash system of railroads. During his professional career of twenty years in Illinois Mr. Happy enjoyed substantial success and became known as one of the representative members of the bar. At all times interested in public questions and affairs, he took a somewhat active part in politics. As a young lawyer he was twice a candidate for county judge, but except on those occasions never ran for political office. In the campaign of 1876 he was a nom- inee for presidential elector on the republican ticket, which was suc-
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cessful at the polls, and he joined in formally casting the vote of Illinois for Hayes and Wheeler.
Owing to failing health, Mr. Happy determined to establish him- self in the northwest and in January, 1891, removed to Spokane, where he has since resided and pursued his profession. He is known for exceptional conscientiousness and fidelity in his work, and for marked accomplishment and ability in certain technical branches of the law which in recent years have become of the very highest impor- tance throughout the northwestern country. Mr. Happy was among the first to foresee the peculiar demands that would be made upon the legal profession by the general process of irrigation; and in the department of irrigation law he is one of the foremost authorities and practitioners.
His special interest in this direction was the outgrowth of exten- sive observation and study of the subject of irrigation as related to agricultural possibilities, and of an intimate personal connection with several vital undertakings. In 1902, in behalf of clients who had a large financial interest in an irrigation company in the Yuma valley, Arizona, he with his law partner devoted much attention to the con- cerns of that company. This led him to make an exhaustive study of irrigation questions and problems in their historical, legal and prac- tical aspects, and he traveled many thousands of miles in the United States and Mexico, examining the different systems in operation. As one of the legal representatives of the Yuma valley enterprise (known as the Irrigation Land & Improvement Company), he has partici- pated actively in the fight for it in the courts and before the United States department having jurisdiction of the matter against the prac- tically confiscatory policy of the United States Reclamation service -- a contest attracting wide attention because of the governmental metli- ods involved.
From his earliest residence in Spokane Mr. Happy took an active interest in projects for developing the natural resources of the sur- rounding country. It was generally believed that on account of the gravelly nature of the soil throughout the Spokane valley irrigation was impracticable on any basis of expectation of profit. On the 4th of April, 1901, W. L. Benham, a retired railroad man, filed articles of incorporation of the Spokane Valley Land & Water Company; and after making appropriations of water in the lakes around the valley, he constructed an irrigation canal through a section of land which he had acquired at Greenacres. "The experiment (we quote from a paper by Mr. Happy) demonstrated that the gravelly soil of Spokane valley makes the best irrigating canals and ditches that
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can be made without concrete, and that the soil is as responsive to the intelligent application of moisture as any soil in the world." But it was exceedingly difficult to overcome the settled prejudice on the subject. In the critical emergency of the company Mr. Happy was one of the first to come to its support, and by his money, labor and influence greatly assisted it to become a success. After the retire- ment of Mr. Benham he was president of the company in the most critical period of its existence, shortly before it was sold to D. C. Corbin. He took a leading part also in promoting the success of the Spokane Canal Company, constantly rendering it most valuable assistance, and is still its legal adviser. He was one of the principal incorporators in the Methow Canal Company, in Okanogan county, served for some time as its president, and has always been its legal representative. In addition, his firm has charge of the legal interests of the Arcadia Land Company.
To Mr. Happy the people of the Pacific northwest are largely indebted for the interest now being taken in apple culture on an ex- tensive and scientific scale. Convinced by his knowledge of the capa- bilities of the soil of the Spokane valley when subjected to intelligent irrigation that it offered special advantages for the culture of the apple, he became an enthusiastic advocate of that industry, and there is no man to whom a larger share of credit is due for the resulting progress.
As a citizen of Spokane he is known for high character and ideals and for active usefulness, both in connection with the general inter- ests of the community and in the private relations and influences of life. He is an accomplished and forcible speaker, and has written and published considerable on various topics, especially in relation to the substantial advantages and resources of the northwest. In pol- ities he has always sustained his relation with the republican party, contributing to its success by campaign speeches, though as in early life, declining to become a candidate for office. His law firm is Happy, Winfree & Hindman, in which W. H. Winfree and W. W. Hindman are associated with him.
Mr. Happy married, in Edwardsville, Illinois, September 11. 1879, Minna Mary Prickett, a daughter of John A. and Elizabeth M. Prickett. Their children are: Claudine Hunt, who married G. W. Kaufman, now of Marshfield, Oregon; Eloise, who wedded Seth Richards, a son of Henry M. Richards, of Spokane, Washington; Cyrus, Jr .; and John Harrison.
Don. Richard B. Blake
N THE pages of Washington's judicial history the O name of Hon. Richard B. Blake figures prominently by reason of his service as judge of the superior court for the district comprised of Spokane and Ste- vens counties. He was ever a brilliant although un- pretentious member of the bar during the period of his connection with the profession here, his ability being widely rec- ognized by his colleagues and contemporaries in the practice of law. It was not alone, however, his high standing as an attorney but also his high character as a man and citizen that won for him the warm regard and honor in which he was uniformly held. He was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, March 14, 1850, and died on the 15th of June, 1900. His father, John Blake, was a prominent farmer of that county and upon the homestead farm the son was reared to the age of sixteen years, devoting the summer months to the work of the fields and the winter seasons to the acquirement of his education in the district schools. He afterward went to Danville, Indiana, where he pursued a preparatory course of study and then entered De Panw University, from which he won his Bachelor of Science degree, being graduated from that institution in 1872. In the meantime he had also taken up the study of law and in October of that year was ad- mitted to the bar. He had previously completed the classical course in De Pauw University as a graduate of 1870 and in his college days became a member of the Phi Gamma Delta.
Judge Blake entered upon law practice at Danville, becoming junior partner of the firm of Hogate & Blake, his associate in prac- tice being later a member of the supreme court of that state. For sixteen years Judge Blake continued a member of the Danville bar, making continuous advancement in practice and at one time holding the office of prosecuting attorney. The west with its growing oppor- tunities attracted him in 1888 and in that year he arrived in Spokane, where he opened a law office in connection with Colonel William M. Ridpath, with whom he practiced until October. 1889. In that year Mr. Blake was elected judge of the superior court for Spokane and
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Stevens counties and remained upon the bench for four years, his record as a judge being in harmony with his record as a man and citizen, distinguished by the utmost loyalty and by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solution. In 1893 he resumed the private practice of law and became senior partner of the firm of Blake & Post, in which connection he practiced until his death. He possessed a keen, analytical mind and his presentation of his cause was ever characterized by clear reasoning, logical deduction and cor- rect application of legal principles. That he had the honor and respect of his fellow practitioners is indicated in the fact that he was called to the presidency of the Spokane County Bar Association and was elected vice president of the State Bar Association. His name was prominently brought forth in connection with the candidacy for governor on the silver republican ticket but he expressed his unwill- ingness to leave the active practice of his profession. His name was also mentioned in connection with supreme court honors and in 1896 he was tendered the democratic nomination for mayor of Spokane but was unwilling to enter public life. He always regarded his pro- fession as his chief interest and was connected with much prominent litigation, including the case which H. T. Cowley brought against the Northern Pacific Railroad, in which Judge Blake acted as coun- selor for the plaintiff. The action was brought to determine the title of about one hundred and twenty acres of land and finally the case went to the supreme court of the United States, where a final decision was rendered in favor of Mr. Blake's client.
On the 22d of December, 1874, in Danville, Indiana, Judge Blake was united in marriage to Miss Antoinette E. Moore, a daughter of Jacob K. and Phoebe Moore, both natives of Danville. They became the parents of two sons: Jacob M., who is a graduate of the Ann Arbor Law School and is now living in San Francisco; and Robert B., who was graduated from the Chicago University and is now a leading attorney of this city. The death of Judge Blake occurred in 1900 and in his passing Spokane lost a man whom she honored highly as a representative lawyer and citizen. He certainly deserved much credit for what he accomplished. He started out in life with- out capital or assistance and won his way to a leading place as a rep- resentative of the Washington bench and bar. As his labors brought to him financial return he made extensive and judicious investments in real estate which netted him a handsome profit in later years. He held membership in the Vincent Episcopal church and in matters of citizenship could always be counted upon to further progressive pro-
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jects for the public good. He possessed marked literary taste and was also a lover of music. He read broadly and made that which he read his own. His life record is worthy of study, showing the forcefulness of industry, persistency and honorable purpose. He was a man who in every relation of life was found faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation.
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Aubrey Lee dalhite
UBREY LEE WHITE is one of the prominent and A successful men of the Inland Empire who have grap- pled with big problems in finance, who have capably directed and managed mining and railroad interests and have won brilliant success in everything they have undertaken. Mr. White has not specialized as many have done but has extended his efforts into many directions, finding ample reward in every line for his industry, perseverance and determination. Nevertheless business represents but one phase of his character and interests. Regarded as a citizen and in his social rela- tions he belongs to that public-spirited, useful and helpful class of men whose ambitions and desires are centered and directed in those channels from which flow the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number. His civic pride has led to tangible efforts in all movements for the city's progress and he has also been a pioneer in the development of irrigation interests, making personal sacrifice and devoting much time and money to bringing water to the arid lands, improving their productiveness and having, moreover, the satis- faction of seeing such districts reclaimed, becoming second to none in fertility in the world. Much of his work in behalf of Spokane has been in the direction of the "city beautiful." He has been a cooper- ant factor in the Municipal League and in kindred movements and marches in the front rank of those men who have upheld the welfare of the city and its people.
Mr. White is a native of Houlton, Maine, born February 17, 1869. His father, George White, was a native of New Brunswick and died in 1885, after having throughout his business life followed the occu- pation of farming. The well known "Guide to Plymouth" which gives a full account of the Pilgrim fathers and their descendants shows the name of White to be a corruption of the name Wise, which was of Holland origin. The family was established on American soil on Long Island and the great-great-grandfather of Aubrey L. White was an itinerant preacher and a loyalist who served as chaplain in King George's army. In recognition of his services to the crown King George gave him a grant of sixty acres of land in the Keswick
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district of New Brunswick which he afterward exchanged for prop- erty at Hodgdon, Maine, which his father owned. The Guide to Plymouth gives an account of Perigrine White, together with men- tion of the cradle in which he was rocked, for he was the first white child born on the American continent. The founder of this branch of the family was William White, who came from Plymouth as a passenger of the Mayflower. In the maternal line Aubrey L. White comes of English lineage. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Jane Maria Beardsley, was born in New Brunswick and died in 1873. She was a daughter of Ralph Beardsley, who married a Miss Curry from Scotland. The grandfather, John Beardsley, was the fourth of the Johns of the family in direct line to become identified with the Episcopal clergy. Captain John Beardsley, the great- great-grandfather of Mrs. White, was in the English service with the troops of King George in the Revolutionary war and his brother, Levi Beardsley, was at one time lieutenant governor of the state of New York.
Aubrey Lee White was one of a family of four daughters, all of whom are now deceased, and six sons, of whom five are yet living. His early education was acquired in the common schools of Houlton, Maine, and later he attended the Ricker Classical Institute which was a preparatory school for Colby College. After leaving school he went to Woodstock, New Brunswick, where for eighteen months he was engaged in the furniture business but at the end of that time severed his trade relations with the east and made his way direct to Spokane, arriving in the fall of that year. Here he was first em- ployed by Arend & Kennard in the market business on Sprague av- enne where the book store of J. W. Graham now stands. He was with that house for four years, covering the period of the great fire, and when he left the establishment he resigned the position of man- ager of the book department to engage on his own account in partner- ship with Jay P. Graves in the mining business. Returning to the east Mr. White opened an office in Montreal, Canada, and became in- terested in the organization and development of the Old Ironside and Granby properties. For six years he remained in the east repre- senting the Spokane interests in the New York, Montreal and Phila- delphia offices. During the latter years of his residence in New York he was identified with Mr. Graves in interesting capital in the devel- opment and financing of the Spokane Traction Company and with Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Graves he also became interested in the Coeur
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